Compare these two sentences from a WaPost story in the N&O:

  • The analysis — requested two years ago by Sen. Tom Coburn, Okla., and former Sen. Rick Santorum, Pa., both conservative Republicans
  • In 2004, Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., issued an analysis that found that 11 of 13 abstinence-only curricula contained medically inaccurate or misleading information, including assertions that touching a person’s genitals can result in pregnancy and that condoms fail to prevent HIV transmission as often as 31 percent of the time in heterosexual intercourse.

No mention that Thomas A. Coburn is an honest-to-goodness MD. No mention that Henry A. Waxman is a liberal, just that he’s a Democrat. In 2005, Coburn received a score of 100 from the American Conservative Union and 5 from Americans for Democratic Action. Waxman’s scores from the two groups were 0 and 100.